Import/export HS code 9001: Optical fibers, lenses, and related items
Covers optical fibers, cables, polarizing sheets, lenses (including contact lenses), prisms, mirrors, and other unmounted optical elements
Why this is important if you are looking for potential customers in the UK:
- It helps you understand the market size for your product in the UK.
- It provides you with a list of potential leads who have bought similar products.
* UK only, last 24 months analysed
Imports by country
What this shows: Import market volume by exporter country into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 189,905,242 |
| Germany | 186,191,256 |
| Thailand | 121,217,534 |
| Hungary | 120,228,347 |
| India | 90,901,330 |
Countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month volume, right side by second 12-month volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 103,886,080 | 86,019,162 | -17,866,918 |
| Germany | 94,645,485 | 91,545,771 | -3,099,714 |
| Thailand | 61,114,000 | 60,103,534 | -1,010,466 |
| Hungary | 64,727,625 | 55,500,722 | -9,226,903 |
| India | 46,772,597 | 44,128,733 | -2,643,864 |
| Ireland | 35,809,115 | 49,909,051 | +14,099,936 |
| China | 32,877,242 | 40,318,278 | +7,441,036 |
| Netherlands | 25,559,019 | 24,952,999 | -606,020 |
| China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 20,014,594 | 23,607,106 | +3,592,512 |
| Portugal | 14,512,332 | 15,661,682 | +1,149,350 |
Imports by country of origin
What this shows: Import volume by production origin country. Differences from exporter-country data can indicate re-export routes.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 216,757,354 |
| China | 135,418,906 |
| Thailand | 131,259,988 |
| Hungary | 113,420,538 |
| Ireland | 105,089,941 |
Country of origin rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 111,761,608 | 104,995,746 | -6,765,862 |
| China | 65,965,999 | 69,452,907 | +3,486,908 |
| Thailand | 64,474,169 | 66,785,819 | +2,311,650 |
| Hungary | 60,960,242 | 52,460,296 | -8,499,946 |
| Ireland | 50,102,002 | 54,987,939 | +4,885,937 |
| India | 46,593,388 | 44,822,574 | -1,770,814 |
| Germany | 39,948,461 | 40,119,596 | +171,135 |
| Philippines | 26,577,513 | 24,045,758 | -2,531,755 |
| Singapore | 24,167,831 | 22,319,650 | -1,848,181 |
| Malaysia | 18,244,562 | 14,684,410 | -3,560,152 |
Importers across UK regions
What this shows: Number of importing companies by UK ITL2 region.
Top 5 values
| UK region | Companies |
|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 151 |
| Inner London - West | 111 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 82 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 80 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 76 |
UK regions rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: UK regions are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month importer count, right side by second 12-month importer count, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| UK region | First 12m | Second 12m | Delta |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire | 114 | 115 | +1 |
| Inner London - West | 82 | 66 | -16 |
| Hampshire and Isle of Wight | 60 | 58 | -2 |
| Surrey, East and West Sussex | 60 | 54 | -6 |
| Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire | 50 | 55 | +5 |
| Greater Manchester | 45 | 37 | -8 |
| Leicestershire, Rutland and Northamptonshire | 40 | 43 | +3 |
| Herefordshire, Worcestershire and Warwickshire | 45 | 35 | -10 |
| Cambridgeshire and Peterborough | 36 | 43 | +7 |
| West Midlands | 38 | 33 | -5 |
Import volume by transport
What this shows: Import value by transport mode used to bring goods into the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 715,223,896 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 196,174,809 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 175,810,729 |
| Other | 122,972,100 |
| Road transport | 360,111 |
Transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 355,456,895 | 359,767,001 | +4,310,106 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 92,919,485 | 103,255,324 | +10,335,839 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 82,915,553 | 92,895,176 | +9,979,623 |
| Other | 86,170,051 | 36,802,049 | -49,368,002 |
| Road transport | 70,581 | 289,530 | +218,949 |
Import volume by port
What this shows: Import value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 277,303,111 |
| East Midlands Airport | 214,105,602 |
| 000 | 122,972,100 |
| Dover | 98,264,077 |
| Felixstowe | 82,225,019 |
Port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month import value, right side by second 12-month import value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 133,500,422 | 143,802,689 | +10,302,267 |
| East Midlands Airport | 110,214,580 | 103,891,022 | -6,323,558 |
| 000 | 86,170,051 | 36,802,049 | -49,368,002 |
| Dover | 52,754,333 | 45,509,744 | -7,244,589 |
| Felixstowe | 39,724,375 | 42,500,644 | +2,776,269 |
| London Stansted Airport | 36,596,315 | 38,441,258 | +1,844,943 |
| Birmingham Airport | 36,427,753 | 36,840,905 | +413,152 |
| Southampton | 36,806,931 | 25,129,696 | -11,677,235 |
| Manchester Airport | 24,904,695 | 27,374,398 | +2,469,703 |
| London Gateway Port | 8,164,722 | 14,063,627 | +5,898,905 |
Importer companies by SIC division
What this shows: Industry breakdown (SIC divisions) of importing companies.
Top 5 values
| SIC | Companies |
|---|---|
| Wholesale trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 280 |
| Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products | 219 |
| Other manufacturing | 143 |
| Manufacture of electrical equipment | 123 |
| Retail trade, except of motor vehicles and motorcycles | 114 |
Importer companies over time
What this shows: Monthly count of unique importing companies.
Latest 5
| Month | Companies |
|---|---|
| 2026-01 | 320 |
| 2025-11 | 329 |
| 2025-10 | 331 |
| 2025-09 | 310 |
| 2025-08 | 337 |
Top importers
What this shows: Companies with the highest number of months traded for this HS code.
| Company | Months traded |
|---|---|
| ESSILOR LIMITED | 120 |
| QIOPTIQ LIMITED | 120 |
| RENISHAW P L C | 120 |
| HOYA LENS U.K. LIMITED | 120 |
| LEONARDO UK LTD | 120 |
| EXCELITAS UK LIMITED | 120 |
| NIKON OPTICAL U.K. LIMITED | 120 |
| EDMUND OPTICS LTD. | 120 |
| GOOCH & HOUSEGO (TORQUAY) LIMITED | 120 |
| THORLABS LIMITED | 120 |
Importer company size by revenue band
What this shows: Distribution of importers across company revenue bands.
Top 5 values
| Revenue | Companies |
|---|---|
| 1m-15m | 615 |
| 54m+ | 494 |
| 0-1m | 187 |
| 15m-54m | 133 |
| Other | 108 |
Import seasonality
What this shows: Average monthly import pattern from historical data.
Exports by country
What this shows: Export market volume by destination country from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Country | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 194,407,530 |
| Japan | 123,673,826 |
| Spain | 115,590,994 |
| Belgium | 95,225,937 |
| Germany | 57,395,254 |
Export countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Destination countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export volume, right side by second 12-month export volume, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Country | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 112,386,411 | 82,021,119 | -30,365,292 |
| Japan | 78,288,899 | 45,384,927 | -32,903,972 |
| Spain | 53,773,439 | 61,817,555 | +8,044,116 |
| Belgium | 54,318,646 | 40,907,291 | -13,411,355 |
| Germany | 34,062,677 | 23,332,577 | -10,730,100 |
| Russia | 17,026,115 | 29,184,931 | +12,158,816 |
| Denmark | 24,115,815 | 22,022,851 | -2,092,964 |
| Ireland | 22,428,534 | 18,912,077 | -3,516,457 |
| Poland | 15,543,588 | 20,842,024 | +5,298,436 |
| Hungary | 16,760,903 | 19,256,527 | +2,495,624 |
Exports by country of origin
What this shows: Export volume by production origin country. For re-exports, indicates where goods originated before UK export.
Top 5 values
| Origin | £ |
|---|---|
| United States | 87,101 |
| XI | 26,242 |
| Nicaragua | 25,099 |
| China | 2,012 |
| Belgium | 237 |
Export origin countries rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Origin countries are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Origin | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 46,419 | 40,682 | -5,737 |
| XI | 0 | 26,242 | +26,242 |
| Nicaragua | 0 | 25,099 | +25,099 |
| China | 1,145 | 867 | -278 |
| Belgium | 237 | 0 | -237 |
| Germany | 68 | 0 | -68 |
Export volume by transport
What this shows: Export value by transport mode used to ship goods from the UK.
Top 5 values
| Transport | £ |
|---|---|
| Air transport | 662,392,876 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 430,231,870 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 30,809,664 |
| Road transport | 595,224 |
| Other | 140,917 |
Export transport rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Transport modes are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Transport | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Air transport | 373,950,247 | 288,442,629 | -85,507,618 |
| Roll on Roll off (RORO) | 218,449,735 | 211,782,135 | -6,667,600 |
| Sea transport (not vehicle on ferry) | 19,053,587 | 11,756,077 | -7,297,510 |
| Road transport | 480,899 | 114,325 | -366,574 |
| Other | 48,027 | 92,890 | +44,863 |
Export volume by port
What this shows: Export value handled by each UK port.
Top 5 values
| Port | £ |
|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 395,729,152 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 359,723,481 |
| East Midlands Airport | 152,059,938 |
| London Stansted Airport | 69,506,817 |
| Holyhead | 37,065,370 |
Export port rank shift: first 12 months vs second 12 months
What this shows: Ports are on both sides of the Sankey. Left side is sorted by first 12-month export value, right side by second 12-month export value, so rank changes are visible from line crossings.
Top 10 values
| Port | First 12m £ | Second 12m £ | Delta £ |
|---|---|---|---|
| London Heathrow Airport | 231,055,639 | 164,673,513 | -66,382,126 |
| Dover / Eurotunnel | 176,024,025 | 183,699,456 | +7,675,431 |
| East Midlands Airport | 82,419,200 | 69,640,738 | -12,778,462 |
| London Stansted Airport | 36,464,002 | 33,042,815 | -3,421,187 |
| Holyhead | 19,384,526 | 17,680,844 | -1,703,682 |
| ZLC | 19,040,293 | 17,831,724 | -1,208,569 |
| Immingham Docks | 13,809,567 | 909,946 | -12,899,621 |
| Southampton | 7,199,502 | 6,266,682 | -932,820 |
| Harwich | 5,811,855 | 5,406,966 | -404,889 |
| London Gateway Port | 5,390,222 | 3,409,162 | -1,981,060 |
Related HS codes
What this shows: Sibling or child HS codes in the same classification branch.
Quick facts
HS code: 9001
Coverage: United Kingdom, most metrics for the last 24 months
Description: Covers optical fibers, cables, polarizing sheets, lenses (including contact lenses), prisms, mirrors, and other unmounted optical elements